Different Paths
by sunkissedchris
Summary: One-shots based on my story "Road Unknown."
1. My Girl

*I don't own _The Outsiders. _I don't own the song lyrics, The Temptations do.

(PPOV)

* * *

After all the shit with Mr. Lucas, the trial, and the state, I was happily put back into the home I shouldn't have ever left in the first place. One of the good things that came out of this was Robin has finally been put in a good home. Not only that, but she's beaten her record, she's been in a good home for more than three months.

The best part of it is she's living in Tulsa.

It seems like yesterday that me and Robin were fighting for our lives. I still feel bad that Mrs. Lucas died, so does Robin, but we've both moved on. Unbelievably, it was five years ago, the last time I was in that God forsaken house.

One of the most screwed up things is I still hate going anywhere near our basement. Fortunately, there isn't reason to go down there often. Well, at least our basement has windows I can fit through if I were to get locked down there somehow.

That's a completely stupid thought since our basement door doesn't have a lock. I guess it's just a fear I'll have to deal with. Anyone else would probably feel the same if they were stuck in a basement for nearly an entire week. I shuddered at the very thought. There isn't anything worse than being held somewhere against your will.

I shoved those thoughts away. I was safe now, home with my brothers, the gang, and Robin.

After everything that we went through at the Lucas House, me and Robin could make it through anything. We just go together; we weren't total opposite but different enough that it makes things interesting. We had complete confidence in one another and there was nothing stressful about us.

I know I sound like a total cliché but it's all true. I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She is everything I want and need, everything is perfect.

Tonight I was bringing her out on a date. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary; we always go out and have a good time. Now that I'm nineteen, Darry can't tell me that I need to be home at midnight. I can stay out as long as I feel.

Sometimes Robin and I will head out with the gang, which always promises an interesting, if not great, time. It's kind of weird at the same time. Darry and I had struggled to find out where out brother, guardian relationship worked out when Mom and Dad first died. Now, we're trying to figure out the more brotherly approach to it.

The other night, he was at the same party as Robin and I. Steve, Soda, Two-Bit, Dally, and Johnny were there too, most of them with some girl. It was fun, but weird with Darry there. We've been through this awkwardness before; we'll get through it again.

He's learning to step back and allow me to make my own decisions, while I learn how to step up and make the right decisions for myself. It's a delicate balance at times, but it's working out pretty well.

I walked down the street with a purpose. I was going to the local flower shop, not somewhere I'd been many times before. I went there once as a child with my Mom. I was too young to remember why we went, but I think it might've been for a floral arrangement for a funeral. I remember Soda and I ripped up some really pretty flower because we thought Mom would like it. I guess the two of us were too adorable because instead of the man behind the counter laughed at us, instead of yelled. Either that, or Mom bought an expensive flower arrangement, which I doubt.

I had gone to the library and carefully constructed what I wanted in the bouquet for Robin. She isn't really the flower and jewelry type of girl, more like let me ride that motorcycle or Corvette over there and it's all good. (Even when it's not ours to ride. Good thing I'm pretty good at talking het out of stupid ideas…unless I agree with the stupid idea, better not to get into that.)

I told the lady behind the counter exactly what I wanted, right down to the colors. She was over the hill so to speak but, she has one of those faces that you can tell she must've been gorgeous when she was younger. Kind of like age may have added a few laugh lines but, if anything, it added to her character.

I watched as her hands as they gently picked and prodded the flowers into the perfect patter. She wounded it up in a silvery paper, tied with gold and silver strings that she curled with the blade of the scissors. It really was an art all on its own; she made the flowers look unbelievable.

I paid and she handed them over gently, I promised her that I'd take care of them. No way was I going to ruin this, it was perfect, better than I expected.

The sun glinted off the water on the sidewalk from the light shower we had. It left a rainbow in the sky and I decided to take that as a sign for a very good night.

XXX

I made my way from the shower to my room. Nineteen years old, working through college to get my degree, my own apartment, and a great girlfriend, I don't think things could get much better. What I was actually doing in college was a huge argument between Darry and me though.

He wanted me to go out to the local business school. He wanted me to major in science or math. I absolutely refused, I told him he could spend the money on himself because there was no way in hell I'd be happy with a career in math or science. It just isn't me.

It basically came down to, I go and do what I want with my life, I won't go at all, or I'll find a way to send myself. Of course, I couldn't afford going to Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences, even with my half paid ride I received from a track scholarship. There was still the hefty other half, books, and housing. Dar ended up agreeing with my terms and I'm majoring in English and have a minor in art. I love it.

I could've stayed at home, but Darry got a girlfriend who he seems serious about and I didn't want to be in the way. Soda already moved to his own place with Steve. Johnny, Dally, and Two-Bit have an apartment on the floor beneath Soda and Steve's place.

Everyone is real close, the way it should be. Robin was in her own apartment, but she wasn't heading to college any time soon. Her interest was in cars, believe it or not. She doesn't mind getting underneath and tinkering around with engines. She, Soda, and Steve are saving up for their own business. I don't know if they'd do a gas station, but they definitely want to have a mechanic shop.

I really think they'll make it. Robin's good with numbers and will have the determination and the iron fist to keep workers in check and to make good business decisions. Steve definitely has enough skills for all of them under the hood. Soda has the charm to draw in costumers and to be the face of the business, he knows what people want and I think he'd be good at advertising. The entire gang would pitch in to give a helping hand with constructing the place to their specifications. That would save money on building the place up.

Plus, everyone around Tulsa knows who Soda and Steve are, they know the quality of their work, and I wouldn't doubt that many costumers would follow them.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I had put weight back on and took the habit of working out a couple times a week. I was still lanky, the build of a runner, but had filled out some and had defined the muscles I do have. I slid on a black button up and dark jeans. I headed out to my Ford truck that Soda, Steve, and Robin fixed up as a going to college present. I checked to make sure I had everything and headed off to Robin's place.

"_Talking about my girl. I've got sunshine on a cloudy day. With my girl…" _I sang on the way, grinning to myself in nervous anticipation.

I hopped out and went inside to get her; we were quickly back on the road. I had a special night planned out. I drove until we were out of the city before I heard a huff of annoyance beside me, my mouth twitched into a smile.

"Where are we going?" Robin demanded. I looked at her, nice black jeans and a semi-dressy blue shirt. The color of the shirt was perfect with her flame of red hair, her cerulean eyes, and creamy soft skin that was a little pale by Tulsa standards. My girl is bea-u-ti-ful.

"Almost there, hold on a little bit longer."

"What do you have up that sleeve of yours?" She asked, looking over at the picnic basket in the back seat of the rusting truck. "Are we eating out in the dark?"

"The dark is a part of the plan," I told her.

"So I can't see you if you make an ass of yourself," she teased.

"Other way around, doll," I laughed.

I pulled over to the side of the road, parking and turning out the lights. I grabbed the picnic basket that held the flowers, a couple of cupcakes, and orange soda because its Robin's favorite. I handed her the flashlight and guided her with my free hand.

I could see the look of distaste on her face, which I expected. Robin is a city girl and walking even ten feet over some brush would irritate her. I chuckled, "It's not far, darling, promise," I kissed her cheek.

We broke into a small, beautiful clearing. I headed over to the center of it, we were surrounded by trees and you could hear owls cooing in the woods. It was so serene and the meadow looked majestic light by the moon.

I laid a blanket out and she sat on it, looking up at me with a what-the-hell-are-we-doing-here look on her face. I smiled reassuringly. We both sat down, and I pointed upwards. "You can't see all those stars in the city. My Dad use to bring all of us camping here when we were younger. Then, we'd go hunting in those trees right there, well deep into those trees. I had the best shot but couldn't stand the thought of shooting something," I chuckled. "I always loved it here."

"It's really wonderful, looks like a painting or something. I know I never seen that many stars before," she smiled.

"That's the point; I know you've been from city to city your whole life. I wanted to show you what was out here in the wilderness," I muttered the last part sarcastically. We weren't that far from the road, no way in hell was this considered wilderness.

"Well to me this is wilderness. We're surrounded by trees," she said. I laughed at her logic.

"I got something for you," I chuckled, nervously.

"Like what," she said, wearily.

I pulled out the bouquet of flowers. Her eyes widened and she took it from me. "It's absolutely gorgeous, do you know the flowers, I don't think I've seen them all before," Robin said, awed by the pretty petal of a bird of paradise.

"Well I picked them all specifically, I did research and everything. I'm a real botanist now. This, my darling, is a bird of paradise. It symbolized joyfulness, magnificence, and exciting and wondrous anticipation," I murmured in her ear. I fingered the glorious orange, purple, and yellow colored flower. There was more than one, but the reason I picked it, besides the meaning, was all the colors just one of them holds. I knew that would catch Robin's eye, and I was right.

"This one is a gladiolus. It stands for, strength of character," I quirked an eyebrow and her direction and she rolled her eyes. "It also means faithfulness, honor, and love at first sight," we both laughed at the last one. I thought she was a lying bitch when we first met and she thought I was a little kid with no spine to speak of.

I was happy she appreciated my humor, I didn't know if she'd like me making a joke out of these when flowers are generally a more serious thing with girls. I remember one time Darry picked flowers for a girl and supposedly they're used at funerals and the girl broke up with him…maybe it's just her, but I was a little worried about risking it.

I moved on from the pink flower to the elegant orange lily. I stroked its leaf with my thumb and looked back to Robin, "This is an orange lily, which you know. It literally is supposed to mean 'I burn for you.' Pretty much stands for how much passion I have for you," I grinned, blushing slightly.

She grinned and kissed my cheek, "Likewise, Ponyboy."

"The next one is a lily of the valley. It stands for sweetness and 'return to happiness.' I picked that one because I think it's a good pick for both our pasts together and before." She sniffed the flowers, looking thoughtful and nodded her agreement.

"The bluish purple flower is a forget-me-not. I think that's pretty self explanatory," I chuckled.

"I can't forget you even if I wanted to, which I don't think I ever would," her breath shook slightly with emotion. "This is so sweet, I can't believe how much thought you put into it," she laughed. "I would've been okay with just getting some flowers but, you did all that." She looked at the bundle, "I think I know what the red rose stands for."

"Undying love, it's a cliché but it fits," I said. She kissed me gently.

My eyes were still closed and out breaths mingled, my lips brushed her lips as I spoke, "You missed something."

We both opened our eyes; she looked confused, "What?"

"Looked at the note and read it out loud."

She glanced at me and snatched it from its silver and gold tie, "Robin, we've been through more than any person should have to go through. I'd always been the odd man out, always different somehow, someway. You make me feel like I belong somewhere. I know I do now, thanks to you. You've shown me I belong with you, to you. You showed me how to stand up for myself and what I believe, even when I think the whole world is against me," her voice was a chocked whisper; I could see tears in her eyes. "I don't think, I'll ever truly be able to tell you how much you mean to me, I love you doesn't begin to cover it all, but it'll have to do. I doubt I'll ever be able to show you how much I love you. You mean more to me than all the stars above us. I'd die a happy man if it was you're lying next to me every day," her breath caught in her throat. Softly she and I stated the last two words on the card, "Marry me."

I got up on a knee; she looked shocked, completely taken off guard. I didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. I pulled the black velvet box out of my pocket and popped it open. I looked at her for the answer, "Hell yes!" She screamed, throwing her arms around me, nearly knocking me down.

She kissed me hard, and we pulled away. I wiped away at the tears that shined on her face from the limited light, "I love you so much, Robin. I never knew loving someone was so…encompassing," I murmured.

She kissed me again, "I love you too. You make me so happy."

We settled back down. She examined the simple white gold band with the square cut diamond. I saved up a long time for the perfect ring; I wouldn't give her anything less than perfect. She shook her head in disbelief.

Then she snorted, "Never thought I'd be the one crying over getting engaged. Who knew I was a flower type of girl? You're turning me into a sap!" She laughed.

"That's alright, doll, I love you anyways. Let's just say you got caught up in the moment," I snickered.

She scoffed loudly, "Like I didn't see some tears prickling your eyes!" She exclaimed.

I chuckled, blushing a little, "We can keep that to ourselves," I murmured. We laughed.

Hand down, best night of my life.

* * *

I've had this idea in my head since I started "Road Unknown." Are some of the ideas totally over done? Hell yes, but all my stories lack fluff, most of them are centered on the harder parts of life. I never write this sort of stuff, and I got the chance and I ran with it.

Next post may be awhile, I got a paper to write on gentic engineering and in order to write it I need to read this book on the subject (_The Perfect Baby, _it's crazy awesome and if you have any interest in genetics, then I suggest it). That's taking forever though. Not to mention, on top of that tests and quizes and _Hamlet. _So, I'm a little overwhelmed right now and I'm sorry you're going to have to wait a bit until I update.

Is someone interested in being my beta? PM me. Excuse typos is implied with that....lol.

Any ideas you have for this, PM me. If there's a specific scene you want done from a different POV, or some RobinxPony fluff you want me to write, give me the ideas and I'll see if I can give the idea justice.

Reviews would be great.


	2. The Sigh!

*I don't own _The Outsiders._

This takes place where "Road Unknown" leaves off. Pony's adjusting back into the routine of his life in Tulsa, but it's difficult for him to leave Robin, Mrs. L. and, Mr. L.'s memories behind. So basically, Robin and Mrs. Lucas are dead for this one…

(PPOV)

* * *

I scratched the scar on the side of my head. I had forgotten to brush my hair before I went into the kitchen this morning and, even though Two-Bit stared for a minute, he didn't say anything. Thank God, I know it looks gross, but it's itchy as hell.

"How'd you sleep?" Darry asked with a grin.

I couldn't help but smile back. I'd been so tired lately, I felt like I couldn't move an arm without having to rest again. "I slept like a baby. It's nice to finally be in _my _bed." It took some time getting used to sleeping here again. It took me a while to get used to my bed, which is kind of weird. I had to get used to what is mine…

Darry carefully ruffled the hair on the back of my head, also checking the wound out, before going to finish breakfast. It looked like it'd be my turn to wash the dishes. I never knew how happy I'd be to think that; _I get to wash the dishes_.

I carefully got dressed. Sometimes if I moved too quickly I'd feel dizzy. I had to be a little more careful than usual. It didn't help that I haven't been able to focus; I swear I walked into the coffee table three times just this morning.

It's nice to know me and Darry's relationship hasn't changed because he yelled at me for my absentmindedness.

_I slammed my shins into the damned table, again!_

_I rubbed the spot that would surely be bruised tomorrow. I already ran into it two times this morning, now three. _

_Two-Bit laughed, "Kid, I see you and the table have something going on," he grinned, widely._

_I snorted, rolling my eyes._

_Darry sighed, uh-oh, not "The Sigh." Not the sigh that means he's going to tell me something that is supposed to help me in some way, not the sigh that tells me I'm going to be bored to death by my brother's ranting. Damn, I'm home for three days and he's already got a lecture for me._

_No one can say I'm a slacker in any way, shape, or form._

_I could tell Darry changed his mind as he opened his mouth then closed it, he re-opened his mouth and said, "Pony, watch out for the table will you? I don't understand how you can walk through Tulsa with no problem, then in your own home you walk into furniture that's been there since before you were born," he shook his head, looking at me like I was some complicated problem._

"_Oh," I drawled. "It ain't there for me to walk into?" I asked acting mockingly shocked. I snorted, "Well no shit! I ain't stupid, Darry, maybe somewhat oblivious but not stupid."_

_I know I'm not supposed to walk into the furniture, it just happens. I know I'm supposed to watch where I'm going, I just ain't good at it. In my house, I'm at home and relaxed so I just don't focus much on my surroundings. When I'm outside of my house, I make sure I keep an eye out for potential problems like, Socs…or oncoming cars, buses, and any other automobiles._

_Everyone looked mildly surprised by my little come back, usually I wouldn't say anything back. I'd just nod my understanding. _

_Two-Bit started laughing, "Ha, looked like Pony learned a few things while he was gone." If it weren't for the fact Robin was dead, I'm sure he'd mention our relationship. Like right now, I'm sure he's just dying to mention the few things he thinks Robin _taught_ me._

"_I don't think I like it," Darry added, under his breath._

_I huffed, "I lived with Robin for six months, you all met her. How could that not rub off me a little bit? She cussed enough to make a sailor look tame."_

_Everyone started laughing, knowing it was true. _

"_Yeah, I'm sure she taught you real well, eh Ponyboy?" Two-Bit said suggestively, cocking an eyebrow. _

_I left the room; I knew he was thinking something along those lines._

"Come on, Johnnycakes, let's go for a walk," I said, nudging his arm.

He didn't say anything, but followed. After a short while, he offered me a cancer stick. I took it, turning so I could use my body to shield the wind, I lit the cigarette. I smiled; it'd been a while since I really got my fill of nicotine. I hadn't shaken the habit off while in Oklahoma, but I definitely wasn't able to smoke as much as I usually did. I only smoked once or twice a day.

I should probably just stop now; it'd probably help me with track later on.

I took another puff and couldn't find the will in me throw it away, screw it. I can try later.

Johnny eyed me funny, "I had to bum cigarettes all the time. Usually off Robin, she kept a nice sized stash hidden," I told him.

"Why didn't you just quit if you couldn't get them all the time? It's better to just let go then to go through withdrawing all the time," he murmured.

I shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't want to, I guess."

We sat down on a park bench. A couple of little kids were playing on a rusty jungle gym, they're parents watched and cheered them whenever the kid did some little trick. I wonder what I would be like if my parent's hadn't been like those kid's parents.

What if I had grown up with someone like Mr. Lucas, or just been with him my whole life? How different would I be?

I shuddered at the different possibilities that came to mind, the worse being me dead.

I swallowed, "I didn't know what it was really like, Johnny," I said, quietly. "I listened to you all this time, but I didn't really understand or grasp it all the way. I didn't see how…degrading it felt like."

I could feel his gaze on me, I was sure it was one of concentration. The one where his eyebrows would come real close together and he'd scrunch his face up as he thought. "How would you know? I seen how you were treated and I saw how I was, you wouldn't completely understand. I don't think I like that you do understand now," he added the last part, almost inaudibly. I could tell he wasn't sure how far to go into this conversation.

"It was weird, I told you not to listen to your folks all this time. I told you there wasn't no reason to feel ashamed, or anything like that, it wasn't your fault. And it really isn't, and I know this whole thing isn't blame I got to shoulder, but you or I can't help it…I can't change how I feel," I looked at him.

"I know," he said, complete understanding in his eyes. "You and I know it ain't our faults, it's just the way it is. I know you cared about her, but you can't hold on to that, Pony. I seen you yesterday and sometimes you looked real happy to be home and other times you looked unhappy. You were thinking of her weren't you? Her and that guy's wife?" Johnny responded.

"Yeah," I answered. "Mrs. L. had it coming; Robin and I both told her we could all get out of here. Robin didn't want to leave Mrs. Lucas 'cause she was a nice lady. I didn't want to leave the two of them there. But, Mrs. L. I can't feel too horrible about because it was a conscious decision to stay there made over and over again."

"Robin and you made that choice to stay too."

"There would be a lot more possible consequences if Robin and I left. Where would we go? Here? That would cause trouble for my brothers or one of the gang, I couldn't do that. It wasn't that bad at first. He beat me one time, and then there was just everything at the end. Mrs. L. was his wife, she should've known what he was capable of and she still didn't leave," I said, trying to explain how I was seeing it.

"That's true, but maybe she denied that the guy she loved was like that. Or maybe, she was scared to go," Johnny murmured, throwing his arm over my shoulders.

"I'm going to miss Robin, Johnny."

"Did you love her?"

"Love? In a way I did," I said, honestly. "I didn't love, love her yet. But, I cared about her and I had a lot of hope for the future and it just got torn up, pun not intended."

Johnny nodded. We sat in silence, the already strong bond becoming stronger between us. We'd always been best buddies, we'd always known everything about one another, yet there was a whole new level of understanding on my part.

I finally knew what Johnny Cade went through every day of his life. He's the strongest person I know.

* * *

I had this idea in my head for a couple days and had to write it. I think Johnny was the best person for Pony to open up to, not only are they best buddies, but Johnny comes from a house hold like the one Pony was just in. Yeah they're different, but there was a level of understanding...

Thanks for the ideas you gave me, I'm thinking them over. Thanks for the reviews/favorites/alerts. I love it.

Keep reviews coming, please!


	3. Santa Is Better Than The Grinch

*I don't own _The Outsiders._

This is the Christmas Season after everything that happened in Oklahoma City.

(PPOV)

* * *

I stumbled, yawning widely as I headed toward the kitchen. Darry was yelling at an unhappy looking Soda. Apparently, Soda stayed out past curfew for a few extra hours of fun and Dar was giving him a lecture.

I couldn't help but smirk the tiniest bit, he never gets yelled at, it was pretty funny. Soda caught my smirk and glared at me, a full fledged grin flashed across my face. Thankfully, Darry's back was still to me and he didn't see it. I would definitely get bitched at, when he's in a mood like this all he needs is the tiniest excuse to make my life hell.

The only reason Dar was acting like this was because it was near the Holidays. He gets like this because he has to work more not only for presents but to compensate for the unpaid time he's off during the season. This makes him straddle the line between pissed off and too tired to do a damn thing.

I decided to be a merciful brother and attempt to save Soda from more of Darry's lecture. I looked at Soda's face and couldn't help but think; _yeah, now you get it. _I laid a hand on Darry's shoulder, catching his attention.

I grinned, "Relax, Dar. He's eighteen; he can stay out if he wants to."

"He's living in my house, so no he can't."

"Our house," I corrected, softly. "Go lay down, I got breakfast. Soda, go clean up for breakfast, your hair looks like you got electrocuted."

Darry huffed, still annoyed, but the thought of more rest was too appealing for him to give up just to lecture Soda. Soda mused my hair as he walked by, flashing me a grateful smile. I rolled my eyes.

XXX

Christmas break is great except when both your brothers are working and your friends are holed up somewhere afraid of the cold. It was twenty degrees with a bitter wind chill on top, so I couldn't blame them for staying out of it.

Darry came in and spotted me on the couch. "Everyone is over at the DX, want to head over there? I got twenty minutes before I have to head back to the worksite."

I nodded, anything to stop the boredom. The worst part about being bored, is the fact is allows me to think. I'd been plagued with enough nightmares; I don't need my day dreams to turn sour too.

Darry kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye. Finally, I got annoyed enough, "What's the matter? Why do you keep looking at me?" I scowled, not liking the scrutiny of his gaze.

He chuckled, "Sorry," he said without meaning it. "It's just that I've never seen you with a beard. You always shaved before anything really grew in."

I rolled my eyes. "You're staring at me because I got hair on my face," I snorted.

He shrugged. I really did not want to bring the topic of shaving up. Darry and Soda had found out I was shaving and all but demanded to know when I started. This, somehow, led to me telling them about Robin teaching me to shave.

Biggest fuck up I've ever made. Two-Bit and Steve found out, probably from Darry because he thought it was hilarious. Ever since, no one can bring up the topic of shaving around me without snickering. Bastards. It was not my fault she was the only one I could ask! Actually, I didn't even ask her, she just waltzed into the bathroom and didn't want me to slit my throat. It was embarrassing then and it's still mortifying now.

I looked over and saw the sly smirk on Darry's lips. I glared holes into the side of his face, "It ain't my goddamn fault," I grumbled, causing him to lose it and laugh.

What a loving brother, he makes fun of my embarrassment.

I could see the gang huddled up near the counter through the glass window of the gas station. My mood didn't lighten, great so they all left me alone at my house to come here. Soda was wrapped up in a thick coat with a scarf and those gloves that don't have the fingers.

When it gets this cold, he just runs outside and inside for costumers, instead of staying outside and filling tanks. It was too damn cold.

Darry and I walked into the middle of Steve's description of some new girl he was going with. He and Evie broke up for the hundredth time. They'll probably be googly eyed for one another again by the end of next week. It was ridiculous. I try not to pay attention to their drama anymore.

Two-Bit came over to me and handed me a five dollar bill, I smirked. Evie and Steve's relationship was a lot of fun to bet on, I win most of the time. That's the reason I can't ignore them, I can win money off of them from Two-Bit.

I could feel someone's eyes on me and I looked up to see Two-Bit looking at me funny.

"What's your problem?" I demanded.

"Your beard, it's weird," Two-Bit said.

The others chuckled, now staring at me too.

Two-Bit's smile widened, "You look like Chris Cringle from that Christmas special!"

I grimaced at him. I do not look like Chris from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Dallas laughed loudly and Soda said, "He even got reddish hair. It ain't red enough but, it's close." I glared, ugh what happened to my so called brothers! I save Soda's ass this morning from Darry's lecture too.

"I do not. I don't like to shave when it's this cold. It stings like a bitch!" I exclaimed in exasperation.

"No shit, kid," Steve grinned. "But, if you don't, then you look like Mr. Cringle."

They continued their snickering.

_Well, it could be worse…I guess it's better than being the Grinch right? _I thought.

Ugh, they're all getting coal for Christmas.

* * *

Hehe, fluff. This story is actually based on one of my best friends' brother. His hair is brown, but he looks like Chris Cringle when his beard grows out. Lol, then I was thinking about what to do for this and realized Pony has reddish hair and I couldn't not write this.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Please review and thanks for all the alerts/reviews/favorites.


	4. Terror in the Night

*I don't own _The Outsiders._

A couple weeks after Ponyboy is placed back under Darry's care.

**Warning:** Cursing and some descriptions of wounds. _Italics= inside Ponyboy's mind_

(Third Person POV)

* * *

_Shadows danced around the walls and made old wooden furniture look like creatures from a cheap horror flick down at the movie house. The moonlight streamed through the dirty cracked window of the basement, the only source of light besides the small beam of yellow glowing from the crack at the bottom of the basement door._

_Mr. Lucas had left the hall light on. No doubt, without Robin or Ponyboy upstairs to blame, Mrs. Lucas would have to take the heat. Pony knew that Robin's heart clenched at the thought of Mrs. L.'s "punishments." The poor woman was broken in so many ways. _

_Robin saw herself when she saw Mrs. L.'s broken expression. She remembered looking at her shattered self everyday for years; it had taken her a long time to suture her heart back together. No one had been there for her, at first that made her bitter. But, now all she wanted to do was help Mrs. L. because she understood what it was like to be alone._

_Robin could help her. _

_Ponyboy understood Robin more than she gave him credit. The small teen knew what Robin was looking at when she saw Mrs. L., that's why he stayed. He couldn't abandon both of them, be another reason for Robin to keep her cynical ways._

_So, he had left his own self preservation behind and stayed. Not to mention, the shame and guilt he felt for being manhandled to the basement. What kind of man was he? He felt disgusted and depressed with the current situation. Why couldn't he be more like his brothers? They wouldn't have let this go as far as it had. They would've made the right decisions; he was such a screw up._

_A couple hours past sunrise, the cursing began. Both teens tensed, automatically searching for comfort as they scooted closer together._

_A soft soothing voice, Mrs. Lucas', stuttered out of nerves as she explained how she merely fell asleep before he'd come to bed and therefore couldn't put the light out. Her emotional apologies became louder as Mr. Lucas did. _

_He called her awful things, things that angered Ponyboy and Robin. The loud bangs, the shattering of glass, screams of pain, soon began to fill the air._

_The door slowly creaked open at the top of the stairs. Ponyboy, taking the lead, tip toed out. The room was in black and white, all except the blood that was redder than the paint on that new cherry colored Corvette he had seen a week prier._

_There were no more sounds, just the red handprints covering the gray walls, the red liquid that was flowing around the Mrs. Lucas' body. Pony tried to call for Robin, but he couldn't speak, he was frozen._

_He stumbled against the wall, breathing hard. Wasn't Robin behind him a moment ago? They needed to get out, panic overtook his senses, the desperate need to survive kicked in._

_Suddenly, everything warped and Pony was in a room with white walls. His dirty rags had been replaced with a hospital gown. He looked around anxiously, Robin and Mrs. L. glided in, making no noise._

_Both were dressed in white and looked like angels. Or they would have if Mrs. L. hadn't had red blood splattered all over her, and purplish blue bruises covering her skin, seeming to spread like ink before his eyes._

_Robin smiled, no, it was more like a bitter smirk. She was completely colorless, all besides the red that stained her hands and the blood that oozed from the wound where a simple kitchen knife was still lodged in her abdomen. _

_Pony screamed, but was met with nothing but eternal silence._

Pony thrashed and yelled, Soda nearly falling out of bed with shock. Ponyboy's nightmares weren't something Soda had ever gotten used to; the six months apart had not helped.

"Shh, Pony, it's okay. Shh, you're alright, baby," Soda cooed to his younger brother.

Darry burst in, cautiously walking toward his littlest brother. Currently, he looked pretty bad. He had not gained his color back since his stay in the hospital. Sweat matted his dark locks to his forehead, his eyes still held the terror and panic he'd experienced a moment ago.

Pony panted slightly, looking sick.

"You're safe, little buddy," Darry said, unsure how to help Pony.

"Pony?" Soda questioned.

Pony shook his head, jumping up. They could hear him wrench in the bathroom, tossing up the little he had for dinner.

Steve and Johnny occupied the couch and floor of the Curtis's living room due to the grief their parents caused them. Both knew that Pony was plagued by nightmares when he slept; they'd been here before to witness them.

Never before had the kid gotten sick from one though. As much as Steve didn't want to admit it, he was worried about Pony. The kid hadn't been looking too good, then again who would after being shoved in a basement and a main witness for a murder trial for his girlfriend and foster parent?

The kid was like a cat, he always seemed to make it through alright. Steve didn't want to be around when Pony reached his ninth life.

His brothers had been walking on eggshells around him. The only ones who hadn't been were Dally and Two-Bit. Dally thinks the kid will get over it and Two-Bit tries not to linger on anything bad, he just overlooks it. Johnny was probably the only one who actually talked to the kid about his stay in Oklahoma City…

"You alright, Pone?" Soda asked, slightly unnerved.

"Fine," he mumbled, gloomily.

Darry and Soda tried to console in him and Pony just snapped at the two to shut up and go back to bed, he apologized for waking everyone up. As he ushered everyone off, he stayed behind himself.

"You need some shut eye too," Soda called.

"I'll go to sleep soon," Pony reassured him, though they all knew it was a lie.

He never sleeps after a nightmare like that.

Pony stumbled around in the kitchen, getting a glass of water. Johnny got up, following him around in there. Steve listened to their conversation, it was too low for Soda or Darry to hear and if the kid said anything important he'd tell Soda.

"What was it about? Must've been pretty bad," Johnny murmured, quiet as ever.

"I keep seeing it. All the goddamn time, Mrs. L. dead and that _fucking_ basement," he hissed. Steve was slightly shocked by the cuss that slid from the kid's lips. It wasn't everyday you heard the kid swear like that, sure maybe you hear a soft damn or shit, but not something like that.

"Tell me about it," Johnny insisted.

"I ain't describing it to you. I don't want to think about it and you don't need to have that in your head either. All I know, is the end freaks me out. It's like Robin and Mrs. L. are angels, all in black in white towards the end, except their injuries. Mrs. L. has colorful bruises and some dried blood on her and Robin is covered in her own red blood. There ain't no sound either, they just stare at me. And, the mother fucking knife is still in Robin's side. How gruesome can a nightmare be for God's sake? Then, they look at me like 'why didn't you do anything?' And I still can't say nothing and I try to scream but I can't," Pony whispers.

"Jesus," Johnny mutters to himself.

Steve lies still, not wanted to bring attention to himself by making noise. He thought the kid never remembered anything, apparently he was now. His nightmare was completely fucked up. Steve certainly never dreamt anything that horrible. He couldn't help but pity the kid, sleep was a getaway for Steve, he couldn't imagine waking up from shit like that. Pony's sleep was hell.

"They'll go away, Pone," Johnnycakes said, trying to comfort the fourteen year old.

"Will they?" Pony laughed bitterly. "They're driving me crazy; I can't go an hour without my mind going back to that. And sometimes, I feel like I'm still trapped in that basement. I can't shut the goddamn door to the bathroom, Johnny! There ain't no windows and I feel like I'm going to get trapped in there if I shut it all the way. Come on! You can't even lock it from the outside. And screw our basement, I can't even look at the door without feeling sick," Pony's voice cracked out of distress. "I'm so screwed up," he snorted, sulkily.

"You just got to let yourself deal with it," Johnny told him, softly. "You're not going to get over it just like that."

"Why does it bother me now? It didn't at the time. Well it did, but I didn't panic, I was actually pretty calm about it. There's something wrong with me, want to know what me and Robin did in the basement?" He didn't bother to pause for Johnny's answer. "After realizing there wasn't any way to get the hell out, we sat there and made out. Who plays tonsil hockey when they're stuck in a basement with a loony upstairs? Every damn time I think about it, the more screwed up it seems."

Despite the situation, Steve and Johnny couldn't help but feel a little bit of amusement at the thought of the baby Curtis making out with his girlfriend. They all thought of him as a little brother, the idea was weird. Steve couldn't help but wonder if Pony was blushing at the confession.

"Well…there wasn't anything else to do," Johnny said.

"Nice to know you find this funny, Johnny," Pony, grumbled.

"Relax, get some sleep, and try not to give it so much attention," Johnny told him seriously.

"Yeah, I will. Head back to bed, and thanks, Johnnycakes."

Some shuffling and Johnny soon had his spot on the Curtis' living room floor. He tossed a little bit, thinking about what Pony had told him. By the sound of Steve's breathing, he was positive he was awake and heard everything Pony said. He waited until he heard Pony's bedroom door shut.

"Eavesdropper," Johnny muttered, turning to face Steve. He could just make out Steve's face in the dark, but the finer details were lost.

"This is bugging him more than Darry and Soda realize, you know," Steve said, not acknowledging Johnny's comment. He was worried about the kid and his brothers. His brothers weren't that much older than Pony himself; they were having a hard time dealing with this. It wasn't like they knew how to react to hearing their little brother being abuse. What do you do and say in a situation like this?

"Ponyboy needs to deal on his own in his own time, there ain't no way else to do this. Obviously, it's bothering him. But, it's Ponyboy; of course it's going to bother him. He can't go through shit like that and let it go easily, he's going to try and figure out the why's and how's of it all. He needs to figure it all out before he'll accept it and move on," Johnny explained.

"I know I don't understand the kid that well, but it ain't good for anyone to linger on shit like that. Who the fuck cares why the bastard killed them, he needs to just move on."

"It ain't how he works. He'll get that there aren't answers to them questions, but he needs to do it himself. Plus, we both know Pony's too stubborn to let it go," Johnny added.

"Because he's and idiot," Steve drawled.

"Or maybe he's got the right idea," Johnny mumbled, half asleep.

* * *

I think this may be one of my favorite chapters for this so far.

Reviews are great. Thanks for everything, everyone!


	5. You're Not Alone

*I don't own _The Outsider, _S.E. Hinton does.

Pony and Robin ran away from the Lucas' and never looked back. They didn't want to cause any trouble for Pony's friends or his brothers, so they went to make a life for themselves in New York.

(Third Person POV)

* * *

The petite girl stared at the small house in front of her. It was slightly worn down, but you could tell who ever lived there gave a shit. Unlike some of the houses in the neighborhood, the lawn was cut, the porch stairs swept. It looked like a home.

A home, something she'd had only twice. Once, when she was only a small kid she had a home, she had to be under the age of six. She didn't even appreciate what she had at the time. The second time she had somewhere she could call home; she appreciated it and suck it for all she could get.

Back in New York she had a home. It was a small little apartment, hardly enough space for herself and Ponyboy Curtis. But, that hadn't mattered. The dreamy green eyed boy had become a man right in front of her. She loved him with all her heart, but he too had to eventually leave her behind.

That was okay, she understood. He didn't do it voluntarily. She read his letters; she knew how much he loved her. That was enough to keep her moving. No way would she disappoint him wherever he was now; she'd make him proud even if it killed her.

She smiled bitterly, it probably would kill her. How do you live up to someone who had it all? He had talent, athletic ability, intelligence, and a kind, gentle heart that he wore on his sleeve (even if he didn't want to admit it).

She shifted the heavy backpack on her shoulder and sighed. She met Darrel and Sodapop Curtis, along with their friends, so long ago. Back when she was still living in that hell hole. At the time, she hadn't seen a reason to dig herself out again; she was tired and just took the bullshit. Then Ponyboy Curtis came through, ready to save her from the agony.

He hadn't dealt with abuse first hand for years that felt like decades, he had fight in him and dug the two of them out of that ditch.

This was going to be one of the hardest things she ever had to do. Talk to Pony's brothers. She had seen the tight bond between them; she knew how much it killed all of them to be separated for so long. When she and Pony ran off, he only sent errant post-cards without return addresses. Pony would not risk getting his brothers in trouble because of his decisions.

She remembered Pony seeking comfort in her presence, she loved it. She felt sick to admit that she was happy when his pain drove him towards her. How awful does that sound? She didn't want him to hurt, but she would've done anything to be close to him. She still felt like that.

"Suck it up and knock on the goddamn door, Robin," she chided in herself.

Walking briskly to the front door, she knocked. She could hear the deep voices of males inside, she remembered the voices from that one afternoon in Oklahoma City so long ago.

There was laughter and what sounded like Darry's voice, telling everyone to shut up so he could answer the door. He pulled it open and his eyes widened with shock when he saw who was on the other side. "Robin?" All the noise in the house quieted, besides the television.

"Mind if I come in and talk to you for a moment?" Her voice came out strong, cold beyond caring. Pony always did call her the girl version of Dallas Winston.

"Of course you can," Darry answered politely. You could hear the curiosity and weariness in her voice. Robin smirked in return, almost wanting to laugh at his obvious discomfort. With a bitter hate, she watched as he scanned the area behind her, noting who wasn't behind her and never would be.

"Hey Robin, want anything?" Soda grinned, surprising her when he kissed her cheek in greeting. A little over friendly for her taste, however, she almost felt bad about the news she was about to deliver.

"No thanks."

She dropped her bag with a loud clang and let her hood fall back, allowing her trademark red hair to flow behind her. The hoodie wasn't even hers; it was Ponyboy's black one. It was too big on her, but it reminded her of him and the comfort of his embrace so she didn't care how awful it looked on her.

She licked her lips, "I don't know where to start," she sighed, almost talking to herself more than the boys, men, in front of her.

"Where's Ponyboy?" Soda whispered.

"Gone," she whispered back, almost too quiet for them to hear. They all understood what she meant immediately. You could see it dawn on their faces, one by one.

"How?" Darry's voice cracked, his expression holding the weight of the truth. Soda's lip quivered as he tried to hold back the tears. Johnny sniffled, got up and went to get a tissue. They hadn't seen the kid in over three years, but they still loved him.

The pained expressions of the remnants of the gang, made Robin want to get up and leave. She couldn't deal with her emotional baggage; she didn't want to be a witness of their pain.

She unzipped the dirty navy blue backpack roughly. She huffed as she dug through the contents for whatever she was looking for, the others watched her. The sadness was tangible and almost suffocating in the small living room.

She licked her dry lips, pulling out a bunch of envelopes. They were all tied together with some white string. "These are yours," she mumbled. "He didn't send them here because he didn't want you to get in trouble. When we were in Oklahoma City, the guy we stayed with was an abusive asshole. We ran to New York and got an apartment. Pony got his G.E.D., but it wasn't like we could afford college or anything like that. We had a small apartment, but it was nice enough. We worked, but then almost six months ago he got drafted."

Soda made a whining sound, Steve groaned. Steve took the news almost worse than Soda and Darry, out of all of them only he and Dally had gone to Vietnam. Dallas felt bad for the kid, but Steve felt worse. There had been more than one time where he wondered what it would be like to die alone in battle, he felt sick that out of all of them it had to be Ponyboy.

The kid had everything Steve didn't. The kid was the one out of all of them who could've really done something and the Army cut his life short.

Robin swallowed heavily, a detached look in her eye.

"You loved him," Soda stated. It was obvious.

"Of course I did. I wouldn't have gone anywhere with him if I hadn't," she mumbled.

She reached toward her neck and pulled out Pony's dog tags that were around her neck. She swallowed; there was an audible gasp from everyone when they saw the diamond ring glittering beautifully on the chain.

She held it out, "He gave it to me before he left. He really wanted to see you. There just wasn't time or money. That's why he called you all. Plus, he figured it would be best for you if he didn't come anyhow, that way in case something did happened he wouldn't be opening old wounds or some shit like that," she rolled her eyes at the past conversation.

Then in a small voice she asked, surprisingly vulnerable, "Can I keep these?" She motioned towards the dog tags.

"Yeah, he'd want you to," Darry chocked out.

Robin stood up abruptly, "I'm sorry," she didn't sound sorry at all. "I don't like being the bearer of bad news, but you needed to know and Pony wanted you to have those letters," she was cutoff before she could say goodbye.

"Wait! Don't go," Soda pleaded, going to her side. "You came all this way and everything, you don't have to talk about it anymore, I know you don't want to," Soda sniffed. "But, at least stay for dinner and get some rest. You're Pony's fiancé; the least we can do is this. Please," he begged.

She paused for a moment, nodded almost unnoticeably. Soda hugged her and Robin wondered how long she'd be staying for. Maybe, just maybe, she didn't have to be alone. Maybe, she could find refuge in a family that she was meant to be in, even if Pony couldn't be with her.

* * *

Oh man, I got a little chocked up writing this one.

Hope you enjoyed, review please!


	6. Emotional Turmoil

*I don't own _The Outsiders._

Thanks Party-Shoes16 for this idea.

(PPOV)

* * *

The knock on the wooden door made us all look up. We were eating eggs and chocolate cake for breakfast like any other day. I glanced at my brothers, wondering if they were expecting anyone, both looked as clueless as I felt. Usually, people just walk in; I don't know when the last time was that I actually heard someone knock.

Probably way before I went to Oklahoma City.

A man stepped through the doorway with Darry. He introduced himself and I immediately recognized him. He was the guy I had deemed to be the nice lawyer at the trial. I lost my appetite immediately, why was he here?

The lawyer had an easy going smile, "How are you, boys?" There were small crinkly lines forming on his face and his hair was beginning to gray.

Soda cheerfully greeted him, curiosity burning in his eyes.

"Can we get you anything?" Darry asked.

"No, I'm fine, thanks. Hello, Pony, nice to see you again. I'm Charles Gallo."

I was slightly taken aback when he used my nickname, "Hello, sir."

"Aw, don't call me that, it makes me feel older than I want to. Just call me Charlie, please." He glanced at our faces, noting our expressions that ranged from worried to just blunt confusion. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here, eh?"

"Yeah, we are," Darry chuckled, a sign that he was nervous.

"Well, at the trial we discussed the fact that the judge here and your prior case worker had approved of you being placed into the Lucas' guardianship," he murmured, wearily. I could tell he didn't purposely want to upset us, even though I think we all flinched at the sound of _his _name.

"Yes, and your point is?" I asked, trying not to sound rude, but I really didn't want to dig this all up at the moment. I wanted to move on, a feat that was proving harder than I thought.

And, believe me when I say, I thought it was going to be pretty damn hard to begin with.

He sighed, "Yes well, we want to bring the two to trial. This way, they can't do this to someone else. We want to get to the bottom of this, find out why she'd split you from your family without cause, and why the judge agreed with it."

"But," I urged him to continue.

"We're going to need you there. We think it would be better if they hear your case from you. Instead of just stating some facts to the jury, give them the whole story straight from the horse's mouth," he said, looking at me. I realized that he wanted my reaction, not my brothers.

Darry and Soda watched me too; they were going to leave this up to me?

"I don't want to." There point blank, the truth. I didn't want to do shit. I wanted to put this behind me and be left alone, but no, this was getting dug up again.

"I figured that's how you would feel. But, you speaking could be the difference between a small punishment and the punishment they deserve," he told me.

"You just said it yourself, the facts are all there. How could I sway them? Give them a sob story that makes them feel guilty, pity me, or something? I don't know the reasons why the judge and the social worker did this, and I don't care. The fact is they did it. So, I don't see how I'm supposed to help anything by going and explaining all of this again," I said, calmly, though on the inside I was drowning in emotional turmoil.

"I understand that, I just don't want their lawyers to be able to belittle the entire situation. That wouldn't happen if you were there telling them what happened yourself. More so than that, you know there's been publicity around this entire case," I couldn't hold back a grimace, "so you can think of this case as a way to stand up for those kids who have been in your position, but nobody did anything for them."

Coldly I stated, "And how are they my problem. I want to be done with all of this," I scowled.

"Pony, I admit, I don't know you all that well, but I know you care about those other people even if you want to deny it right now," he said, persuasively.

"Can't he think about it first?" Darry asked, noting the pissed off look I was giving him.

"Of course, do you think you can make your decision in a few days and give me a call?" Charlie pulled a business card out of his shiny black briefcase.

I nodded in agreement, even though I just wanted to say 'No, I already made my decision and I don't want to do anything.'

After the lawyer left, Soda turned to me, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"Good because I don't want to do anything. I don't care why the bitch did what she did or why that idiot judge allowed all of this to happen, the fact is it did happened. Nothing is going to change that and all this will do is, dig all this shit back up for me and I don't want to do this again. They aren't even worth it. And yeah this may represent other cases, but it won't make those kids' lives any better either!" I pouted slightly, childish I know, but I didn't care.

"It works both ways, I suppose," Darry muttered. "You get to decide what you want to do, just think it through before you shoot it down."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Soda asked, gently.

"No," I snapped.

I avoided everyone like the plague. Two-Bit tried to get me to go out, but I shot him down quickly. All of them were always trying to get me to go out, or they're like come do this, whine, whine, you don't do anything, act like a kid and not a middle aged man with no life, blah, blah, blah. They can be so annoying!

Johnny came in and smiled slightly, still peeved from my conversation with Two-Bit, I said, "Don't tell me you want me to go out somewhere because the answer is no."

He chuckled, ignoring my sour mood, "God forbid you see the outside of you house, Pone," his tone was mocking. I cracked a grin as he sassed the gang. That's why he's my best buddy; he knows how to cheer me up.

Seriously he asked, "Do you need to talk about anything?"

"I ain't going to the trial, there ain't anything to think or talk about," I said, sternly.

"Sure there isn't. At least, not until you realize how thick headed you are and you only have two hours until that lawyer needs your answer and you start second guessing yourself and you begin hyperventilating and have a panic attack."

"You're the one who's going to hyperventilate if you don't breathe while you talk, Johnny. Now I see why you're so quiet all the time, you don't want to risk passing out all the damn time," I teased lamely.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Think about it for real, Pone, because you know you'll end up doing just that."

I nodded, "I can't go through this shit again. It's so hard, I have to live with it every day, so why do I have to do this again?"

"Doesn't that answer your question right there? It's going to be with you for the rest of your life, so would it really hurt to get those assholes who tried to ruin your life put away for good? Would it hurt to do what all them other kids couldn't?"

Suddenly, I realized that Johnny was one of those kids who could never have the opportunity to speak up about his situation. He never would because he loves his parents, and wants to take care of them, even if they hurt him. He never would, because chances are he'd get sent away from the gang, the only family he ever had.

I stared at my best friend's big black eyes, the kid who had so much to say if you just gave him the chance to get comfortable enough to speak.

I realized I had to do this for kids like Johnny who didn't even have people like the gang backing them up…

Not to mention, it would be nice to know why the bitch put me through this.

XXX

I rubbed the dirt off the relatively new headstones of my parents' grave. It'd been a little more than a year since they died; I'd missed the anniversary of their deaths. Instead of being here with family, the gang and my brothers watched me lay there in a coma.

I sighed, kneeling in front of the stones. "Sorry I wasn't here. They took me away from Darry, can you believe that? Total shit, oops, sorry Momma." I sighed; she would've scolded me for cussing like that. I smiled faintly, remembering times I watched her chew out Darry and Soda for being rude by talking dirty.

"It was real bad, Momma, Daddy. I didn't like it there from the beginning. But then I met this amazing girl, I think I could've really fallen in love with her; I may have a little bit actually. You would've loved her, Ma. You always loved Dally a lot, you had that soft spot for him, you saw him for who he really is, Robin was like that too," I murmured.

"She had this tough face, but she cared deep down. We got together, yeah, yeah, your little baby finally had a girlfriend, don't cry up there please," I stated, dryly, as if they were both here listening. Hell, maybe they are.

"She had a good heart though, you know," I felt tears coming on and my breathing quickened a little. "This lawyer guy asked me to testify to put that social worker and judge into their places for splitting us up when they didn't have any reason to. In a way, I ain't angry 'cause if I hadn't left, I wouldn't have ever met Robin. Everyone thinks I should go, I guess there isn't a reason not to, other than I don't want to go."

I sniffed, "What should I do?"

I whipped my tears, feeling like an ass sitting here waiting for someone to answer my questions.

"Why am I the one all this crap has to happen to? Sometimes I feel like I get cheated of everything. I got cheated of my time with you. I always figured we'd get to really bond after Darry and Soda went onto bigger and better things. I always thought I'd get my turn eventually, and then you died. Then, I got a girlfriend and she gets killed. We didn't even go on a date!" By now I was sobbing.

My mind raced for a minute, "I won't ever get that image of Mrs. Lucas out of my head. If you see her tell her I'm sorry, Robin too. I really let them down," I crocked.

I leaned my face into my hands, drawing in deep breaths. I squeezed my eyes shut hard, seeing those tiny spots run in my vision. I scrubbed the last bit of tears away.

"I am going to do the trial, I don't think I'll like it much, though," I told them quietly. I looked up at the darkening sky, knowing I needed to get home before Darry shits a brick. "I miss you and I love you," I sighed. I kissed my palm and slapped both headstones.

Unfolding my lanky limbs, I made my way home whistling a soft tune to myself.

XXX

I shifted my tie in annoyance, "I fucking hate this sh-"

"Ponyboy," Darry reprimanded me harshly. "I get that you're stressing out here, but you need to calm down and watch that mouth of yours," he shook his head in exasperation. We've been having this conversation a lot lately. The others behind us snickered quietly; we were standing in this hall that led to the court room.

"My bad," I said, not sorry what so ever. I kept fiddling with the offensive piece of material, until Darry's hand shot out and redid the entire thing.

"Don't touch it again, you hear me. You can breathe, so you're fine," Darry mumbled.

"So as long as I can breathe," I started, before my attention was brought to Charles Gallo.

"Time to head in, boys," he smiled. Is the guy always happy?

***

I sighed in irritation as they asked me the same goddamn question they asked me moments ago, "Why do you think Mrs. Wallace would purposely put you into an abusive home?"

"I already told you, I don't know. All I know is that she never liked my brothers. She always tried to get me to admit to them doing something wrong, when they never had. She always looked at us, mostly Darry actually, with hate and disdain. She acted like she was offering me a chance to get out of something horrible whenever I talked to her," I explained for the hundredth time.

They'd already discovered from the judge, the one that had taken care of my case all those months ago, that he agreed with Mrs. Wallace (The Bitch, as the gang has deemed her) because they were romantically involved. They were engaged and everything, he loved her so he agreed with her to set the Curtis brothers up. She broke it off after the case. Man did I feel bad for him; he was a victim of her scorn, like me.

She still was refusing to testify.

"So you can think of no reason to why she'd want to do anything to you and your family?"

"No," I stated clearly.

"But you're sure this wasn't a random mistake?"

"Yes," I answered, short and sweet.

Moving on to the next topic, "Can you give us a summary of what happened to you under the Lucas' guardianship?"

"I was never completely comfortable with Mr. or Mrs. Lucas. I figured it was just me adjusting that made things feel strange. It wasn't until the end of me being with them that anything really went wrong, other than when he beat me once," I was broken off.

"Why didn't you do anything the first time he hurt you?"

I shrugged, "Shame, embarrassment, denial, the fact Robin wanted to take care of Mrs. Lucas and I wanted to make sure Robin was okay. It was easier to act like it didn't happen, like it wouldn't happen again," I muttered, hoping the lawyer, Mr. Allen, would drop it.

"Then what happened?"

"The five days trapped in the basement. We weren't really given any food or water during that time. Then we were allowed upstairs, Mrs. Lucas was already dead in the living room. Robin and I fought, I blacked out during it and woke up two weeks later in the hospital," I said, emotionlessly.

_Don't think about it now, later you can break down if you need to._

The questions were repeated in multiple ways before I was finally off the stand. Then, Mrs. Wallace was finally called to the stand. The beginning of her testimony was boring and I blocked it all out. I ignored the gang behind me and Charlie beside me.

I wanted to fucking run and get away from here. I was so done.

Then the golden question was finally asked, "Why would you do this to an innocent fourteen year old kid?"

The words that exited her mouth made me so pissed. "Because their Granddaddy was supposed to marry me! But no, he broke it off for that little skank!" She yelled, tears in her eyes.

I swear to God my mouth dropped and everybody else froze. I snapped out of it, livid. "I was trapped in a basement for FIVE FUCKING DAYS because of a grudge against my grandfather who I NEVER MET!" I yelled out. Honestly, I didn't even think about what I was doing. I knew I was misbehaving but come on!

Charles' hand reached out and touched my shoulder, I glared at him. I got up and walked out, not really giving a damn. I was so fucking pissed off. All of that because of a love story gone wrong back in 1900?!

"Ponyboy, PONYBOY," the gang called after me. They had to run to catch up to me; I shook my head at their ramblings about coming back.

Soda grabbed my jacket sleeve; I yanked away and threw my tie at Darry.

"Pone," Soda said soothingly.

"No. Shove it, Soda. I had to be a prisoner for five days in that fucking basement f-for that! No fucking way, no. I have had the image of that woman's dead body in my head all because of this? Because of our Grandfather who died before I even met him? What the fuck all of this because of that!" I wailed. "I knew I didn't want to come today for a reason."

"Pony," Soda grabbed my shoulders, digging his heels in the ground so I stopped. "It's a bad reason, I know, and you got every right to be pissed alright. Heck, I'm angry too, you're right, but you can't run like that."

"Why the heck not? I don't care what they do anymore. She admitted it, she set this whole thing up just to give us hell all because of a grudge over a dead man. Great, she's pathetic, I knew that already. I just want to go home and forget all of this, but no, you won't let me will you?"

"Pony, just come back and finish what you started," Darry encouraged. The others sat back, each with different levels of anger and disbelief on their faces. It was a pretty stupid reason to put someone through all of this just because someone dumped you.

I looked at Johnny, he smiled slightly. His words rang in my head from a previous conversation we had almost a year ago when my parents died, _Life is hard, but don't let it get the best of you._

I can't let this take me down or get the better of me, can I?

I sighed, "I've made an ass out of myself." I tilted my head back looked at the blue, clear sky above as if it held all the answers.

"Come on, Pone, no one will blame you. I think everyone was pretty shocked over her reasons," Soda grinned.

I walked back into the court room, my head held high.

Life gives you lemons, so make lemonade, and all that stuff.

* * *

This chapter took me forever to finish, haha. I think this is it for the one-shots. There is the possibility I may add more in the future. So this means, I'll be starting something new. I have some ideas, I just don't know which one I'm going to go with. **Either way look out for my new story!!**

Oh, I wrote this one-shot called **"Empathy,"** and it's about Soda and Steve. It isn't a slash and I made a mistake in it, I'll admit. I said Steve has blonde hair in it because I always pictured him with blonde swirls in the book, my bad. Anyway, it's still pretty good, I think. So check it out please! I also wrote **"Addicted,"** which is a one-shot based on _Mortal Instruments_, so if you read those, check that out. If you haven't, I recommend the series.

Thanks everyone, review!


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